Election schedule today

Staff Correspondent
The Election Commission is all set to announce the schedule for the 11th parliamentary election today.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda will announce the schedule for the next parliamentary polls to the nation through Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar at around 7:00pm, Joint Secretary of the commission SM Asaduzzaman told Bangladesh Post.
In this regard, the EC will sit at a full commission meeting at 10:00am.
EC sources said the commission is likely to hold the next parliamentary polls on December 20. The EC is going to announce the schedule after talking the major political parties and alliances.
BNP-dominated Jatiya Oikyafront during their dialogue with the EC urged the commission not to announce the polls schedule before their dialogues with the ruling alliance are over.
They said the commission should announce the polls schedule after a positive result come out of the ongoing dialogues. They also threatened of holding a road march to the EC if the EC do not accept their demand.
However, the ruling Awami League, its allies and most other parties and alliances have requested the EC to declare the schedule in time so that the constitutional obligations are not breached and the election is held in time.
According to the constitution, the next parliamentary polls must be held within January 28.
EC officials said the commission has completed all kinds of preparation for holding the next general election in free, fair and credible manner.
“The commission has already completed major tasks including call for tender of procuring electoral equipment, updated voter list, preparing voter CD of 300 parliamentary constituencies and list of polling stations, demarcation of parliamentary constituencies, and dialogue with the political parties and stakeholders,” an EC official said.
The commission prepared draft list of 40,199 polling stations and 2, 06,540 polling booths for 104.2 million voters ahead of the 11th parliamentary election. The commission will finalise the list and send it to the respective constituencies before 25 days ahead of the general polls, he said, adding that the EC will use electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the next parliamentary elections in limited scale.
After finalizing the valid candidates of the polls, then the commission will print the ballot papers, he added.
Meanwhile, EC officials said the commission will need around seven lakh election officials including presiding officer, assistant presiding officer and polling officer for conducting polls in 300 parliamentary constituencies.
All the deputy commissioners will act as a returning officer of the polls.